George Washington and Public Memory: Coffee & Conversation at Woodlawn

On April 18 at Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House in Alexandria, Virginia, historian John Garrison Marks presents Coffee and Conversation: George Washington and Public Memory, a 2.5-hour program that examines Washington’s relationship with slavery and the ways Americans have contested his legacy. The session begins at 1:00 pm with a keynote lecture and moves into a 2:30 pm after-session for ticketed guests that includes a signed copy of Marks’s Thy Will Be Done, a private Q&A over coffee, and guided tours of the houses. Set on gently rolling grounds near the Potomac, the site links two distinct structures: the restored Woodlawn plantation house and the low-slung Pope-Leighey House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, creating an architectural span from early national brick masonry to midcentury modern concrete and wood. Landscape features include mature oaks, tulip poplars, curated gardens, and a collection of artifacts displayed in climate-controlled spaces that together help visitors visualize plantation-era life and later preservation efforts. Marks synthesizes archival research, oral histories, and public memory studies to show how abolitionists, politicians, educators, activists, and descendants of people enslaved at Mount Vernon-era sites have argued over commemoration for centuries. Expect precise storytelling—specific names, documents, and interpretive context—followed by an open conversation where guests can ask difficult questions about memory, monuments, and the responsibilities of museums. The main lecture is free and open to the public; the expanded after-session is ticketed ($50) and available individually or as part of a Spring Package Pass that bundles April–June events at a discount. Total time on site is about two and a half hours, an accessible length for educators, history students, museum professionals, and travelers who want a compact, discussion-driven program rather than a passive lecture. Tours move between rooms that document domestic life, labor, and preservation choices, so bring questions and a willingness to engage with uncomfortable truths and evolving interpretations. Arrive early to walk the grounds, pick up materials at the welcome desk, and linger afterward to talk with staff who curate the collection spotlights; the program turns a historic property into a forum where public memory is actively negotiated. Practical notes: parking in Alexandria can fill on event days, so consider rideshare or allow extra time; the keynote room is accessible but specific accessibility requests should be emailed ahead if possible. Bring a notebook, camera, and an open mind; the after-session provides a rare chance to speak with a scholar whose work appears in the Washington Post, TIME, and Smithsonian Magazine, and to handle select artifacts under staff supervision. Whether you come for exacting scholarship or a community conversation over coffee, this program uses place, primary sources, and dialogue to rethink how a nation remembers its complicated founders and encourages public accountability.